by Kasi Blake
Bay-Lee stormed out of the building, duffel bag in hand, and hurried to the rental car waiting for her. Connor sat behind the steering wheel with Nick in the backseat, although he didn’t know it. Barely glancing at either of them, she tossed her bag through the open window and climbed into the passenger seat. If Connor noticed her tear-stained face, he let it pass without comment, and he started the engine without a word.
Bay-Lee looked over her shoulder and glared at Nick before fixing her angry gaze on the windshield. “Did you know Van Helsing was my biological father?”
Connor thought the question was aimed at him, so he answered her. “Of course I knew and would have told you, but Van made a compelling case for keeping it a secret. He was afraid… we were both afraid if you knew you would want to move into the castle and start hunting before you were ready. We didn’t want you to get killed.”
Nick waited for Connor to stop talking. Then he said, “Van told me after I rescued you from the Order.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
“I’m sorry,” Connor said. “But I did what I felt was best.”
Nick’s tortured voice reached out to her from the backseat. “I didn’t want you to leave me when you realized the prophecy was coming true. If it was up to me, you still wouldn’t know. He had no right to do that to you.”
Silent tears drew a fresh path down her cheeks. She turned her face away from Connor to stare out the window and fought to regain control over her raw emotions. Nick continued to talk to her in an effort to make her feel better.
“Maybe I was wrong and I should have told you. Or maybe I should have followed my first instinct and talked you into running away with me so he couldn’t hurt you like this.” Nick paused before adding, “I wish I could hold you.”
Unable to speak to him because anything she said at this point would sound suspicious to Connor, she looked at Nick and mouthed, “I love you.”
His lips curved. “If I could touch you right now, I would wrap my arms around you and hold you tight, and I wouldn’t let go until you made me.”
“You won’t ever leave me, will you?” She spoke without thinking.
Connor reached for her hand. “Trust me, honey, you’ll leave me long before I ever leave you. Before you know it you’ll be buying your boat and sailing away on a brand new adventure.”
“I’ll stay for as long as you need me,” Nick said, “and for as long as you want me.”
She wanted to ask Nick if he was still planning to join her on that boat, only she couldn’t figure out a way to say it without Connor suspecting something. Instead, she smiled at Nick and prepared herself for a long wait. Maybe Connor would take a nap on the plane and she could whisper to Nick.
“Why are you staring out the back window?” Connor asked.
Thinking fast, she said, “Just taking a last look at the school.” Feeling better, she turned around in her seat and spoke to Connor. “I have two questions for you. Where are we going to live, and who are we going to be?”
Connor wore a strained smile. “We are John and Jessica Prescott, the proud new owners of a house in Maine.”
“Maine?” she repeated in a less than enthusiastic voice.
Nick snorted. “You should have left picking the place to me.”
She ignored him because Connor couldn’t hear him. If she started arguing with herself, Connor might take her to a hospital. No matter what Nick said she needed to remember to play it cool and not react. She would train herself to be on guard at all times, only speaking to Nick when she was sure they were alone.
“I know it isn’t your first choice,” Connor said. “It will be cold, frigid in the winter, but we’ll be able to stay there long enough for you to graduate. On the bright side our house is near the ocean.”
“Tell him it sounds great,” Nick said. “He’s walking on eggshells, trying to please you.”
“Maine is perfect,” she said, following the unsolicited advice.
Her uncle’s face relaxed. “Good.”
As if by mutual consent, they stopped talking, and Bay-Lee contemplated recent events on their way to the airport. She stared at the beautiful New Zealand countryside without actually seeing it. Her mind focused on the bad stuff, things like how Van lied to her all her life. Then she thought about Maxx being on the loose. Although he was probably in the Spirit Realm, she was sure he was hatching a new plan to kill more hunters.
She forced her brain in another direction, remembering what it was like to share her body with Nick. Incredible, awesome, freaking amazing, there weren’t words detailed enough to describe the feeling, and she couldn’t wait to do it again. She glanced back at him and smiled.
“Turn the radio on,” he said. “Music will make you feel better.”
She ignored him, enjoying the silence.
The radio turned on by itself.
Connor frowned. “What the hell?”
Bay-Lee shot a glare at Nick before trying to explain it to Connor. Her mind flew into action, searching for a believable story. “Uh… Van has someone working on a new spell to keep wraiths out of the school and it has side effects like bringing electronics to life.”
“Hmm.” Connor shrugged. “For a second I thought a ghost might be hitchhiking home with us.”
An uneasy laugh floated past her lips. “Yeah. That’s just what we need, a ghost.”
Glaring at Nick again, she wondered what else he could do. He began to sing with the radio as they left Van’s property behind. The sound of his voice melted away her doubts. Somehow they were going to succeed. Somehow she was going to be the first girl in history to make a relationship with a dead guy work.
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Excerpt from Witch Hunt
CHAPTER ONE
